Teacher Workshops

Our dedicated PopEd team brought innovative curriculum resources to both current and aspiring teachers across the US and Canada. Over the past year, we have successfully hosted more than 700 engaging workshops, impacting over 11,000 participants in 45 states and four provinces.

These workshops are designed to inspire and equip educators with the knowledge and tools they need to effectively integrate population themes into their classrooms. Through immersive and interactive sessions, our staff, alongside volunteer trainers, provide practical strategies and insights to enhance teaching practices and student engagement. Curious about where we’ve been making a difference? We invite you to explore our interactive map available on the PopEd website.

Educators tune in to learn about PopEd’s classroom activity “Who Polluted the Potomac?”

Teacher Workshops

Leadership Institutes

Educators from across the United States and Canada attended our two three-day institutes this year! The Summer Institute took place on the UCLA campus in Los Angeles, and the Fall Institute was held in Orlando. The Leadership Institutes brought together a total of 50 educators who were preparing to become facilitators of teacher-training workshops in their own regions.

To present more than 700 workshops a year, we rely on an extensive network of professional educators like these to contribute more than two-thirds of our teacher training workshops each year. While most attendees were professors at colleges and universities, participants also included current K-12 teachers. The weekend offered a welcome opportunity for positive engagement with like-minded educators who understand how population growth affects many of the world’s issues.

Attendees at the Fall Leadership Institute in Orlando

Leadership Institutes

World of 8 Billion Student Video Contest

This year, we celebrated the 14th annual World of 8 Billion International Student Video Contest, with over 3,250 submissions from students in 67 countries and 45 states plus D.C. The proposed topics were child wellbeing, rainforest ecosystems, and sanitation.

Nearly 300 teachers used the contest as a vehicle for diving deeper into engaged citizenship in their classrooms. We were inspired by the effort students put into researching and brainstorming creative, sustainable solutions to issues related to these themes.

Student Video Contest

National Science Teaching Association Convention

In late March, members of our PopEd team traveled to Philadelphia to participate in the National Science Teaching Association’s annual convention—one of the country’s largest gatherings of science educators.

Over three action-packed days, we hosted a PopEd exhibit and led three interactive workshops. We also had the opportunity to engage directly with elementary school teachers and informal educators at two special networking events. It was an inspiring few days of sharing ideas, resources, and strategies to bring population and sustainability topics into classrooms across the nation.

Teachers visit the PopEd booth at the National Conference on Science Education in Philadelphia

Teacher Resources

Guest Presentations

Educating others on the connections between population growth, health, development, and the environment is central to our mission. The connections are deeply interconnected and can be difficult to articulate if you don’t spend all day working on them, as we do. Population Connection speakers explore these intricate connections in digestible and clear presentations for a range of audiences.

Book a guest speaker for your class, organization, or event to engage in discussions on human population dynamics as part of the global human rights and sustainable development agenda.

Students at California State University, Stanislaus after a presentation with Population Connection Senior Analyst, Hannah Evans

Book a Guest Speaker

University of North Carolina Summer Course

Our partnership with the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG) continued into its third year! Our five-week full-credit course provides undergrads and graduate students with a comprehensive introduction to population studies, with a strong emphasis on how demographic trends intersect with social and environmental justice.

Students hear from a diverse group of guest speakers, including university researchers, leaders from our Global Partner organizations, and international advocates who share firsthand perspectives about how rapid population growth and climate change impact sustainable development efforts in their countries and communities. Their contributions enrich classroom discussions with real-world context, case studies, and professional expertise.

By the end of the course, students have learned key demographic concepts and can think critically and independently about how population trends impact the social and environmental issues they care about. They can recognize the critical role of health, education, and human rights in building a more sustainable and equitable future.

Population Connection Senior Analyst Hannah Evans presenting to a group of students at Stanislaus State

Explore Academic Resources

Media Appearances

Much of our media work this year focused on countering the widespread sensationalism around declining fertility rates. Headlines warning of a “baby bust” routinely overlooked the reality that a world of more than 8 billion people strains the finite supply of natural resources and the planet’s ability to absorb our waste, including greenhouse gas emissions. In our responses, we pushed back against these narratives and highlighted the links between population dynamics, environmental justice, resource sustainability, and reproductive rights.

Check out our responses to articles in The Guardian, The New York Times, and other outlets, as well as our inclusion in NPR’s prominent Population Shift Series and a CNN article about pronatalism in the Trump administration.

Read Our Media Coverage

United Nations Involvement

Population Connection began participating in UN conferences and other events in 2024. We have special consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) as a civil society organization. This status, reserved for non-governmental organizations whose work “has direct relevance to the aims and purposes of the United Nations,” allows us to attend UN conferences, deliver written and oral statements, and comment on drafts of important publications.

In April, we joined health ministers, ambassadors, and other civil society experts with consultative status, at the 58th Session of the United Nations Commission on Population and Development (CPD58) in New York City. Our staff member Florence Blondel attended all five days of the conference. Florence made two official oral statements on behalf of Population Connection. Additionally, we submitted a written statement in partnership with Population Matters and Population Media Center. We also hosted an official virtual side event featuring our friends at Population Media Center and Women for Conservation.

Florence Blondel giving an oral statement on behalf of Population Connection at CPD58

UN Involvement

Quarterly Magazine

Population Connection magazine is our quarterly publication, with a circulation of over 60,000, distributed to our network of supporters, every member of Congress, and more than 3,000 public and university libraries. 

Our March issue examined the steady increase in vasectomies and other permanent sterilization procedures in the US since the fall of Roe v. Wade. Our June edition spotlighted the accomplishments of our Global Partner RUWDUC in changing norms and traditions that harm Nepalese women and girls. Additionally, we featured a survey we conducted in late 2024, which illuminated Americans’ fertility perspectives, preferences, and challenges. Our September issue highlighted the unfounded declarations of prominent American figures regarding an impending population collapse and human extinction, while completely ignoring the actual collapse that’s happening right now: the sixth mass extinction of species. Our December edition celebrates the 50th anniversary of our one-of-a-kind Population Education program. 

Each issue offers timely insights into global population dynamics and department happenings.

Population Connection magazine on display at a community event in Los Altos, CA

Explore our 2025 Issues

Global Partners

Our Global Partners program supports the efforts of grassroots organizations in Africa, Latin America, and Asia. These organizations work to provide reproductive health care, advance girls’ education, conserve biodiversity, and promote sustainable development. Our partners play a crucial role in boosting equity and sustainability in their respective regions.

This Spring, Population Connection Senior Analyst Hannah Evans spent two weeks visiting some of our current and former Guatemalan partners, including: Manos Abiertas, Maya Health Alliance, Seeds for a Future, and WINGS. She sought to gain a deeper understanding of how each organization operates on a day-to-day basis and gather stories that highlight their impact. It was also an opportunity to connect directly with the people they serve, whose voices and experiences are at the heart of the work.

Hannah Evans visiting with attendees at a Youth Leadership hosted by WINGS

Global Partners Program

#Fight4HER

The Field Team is hard at work to get the next phase of the #Fight4HER campaign underway in key locations across the country. If you live in Las Vegas, Nevada, Manchester, New Hampshire, Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, or Tucson, Arizona, keep your eyes peeled for opportunities to volunteer on the ground in the new year. If you don’t live in one of these four cities, look out for opportunities to plug in virtually as our campaign gets off the ground.

Florence Blondel, Digital Media Manager, and Mikala Bryne at the People’s Rally in Charlotte, North Carolina

Join the #Fight4HER

Taking Action on Capitol Hill

As the Trump administration stripped away essential health care services and gutted foreign aid, our staff and supporters hit the streets to protest at marches in Washington, D.C. and across the country. 

• January 18: We participated in People’s March events. Coordinated by a coalition of organizations led by Women’s March, the rallies were envisioned as a first act of opposition to the second Trump administration.
• February 5: We joined thousands in protesting on Capitol Hill at the Save USAID rally.
• March 12: We joined pro-choice and pro-democracy organizations at the Save Our Health Care rally against cuts to Medicaid, Medicare, and Planned Parenthood.
• March 31: We stood in solidarity with trans activists at a rally commemorating National Trans Day of Visibility.
• April 2: We joined Planned Parenthood and other reproductive rights groups in front of the Supreme Court to rally during oral arguments for Medina v. Planned Parenthood of the South Atlantic, a case challenging South Carolina’s attempt to block Planned Parenthood as a Medicaid provider in the state.
• June 7-8: We connected with hundreds of people during the World Pride event in Washington, D.C., staffing a booth, distributing information, and gathering petition signatures to repeal the Global Gag Rule once and for all!

Staff attend the Save Our Health Care rally in DC

Our Policy Priorities

World Pride Street Festival

After a politically devastating first half of the year, the Field team was thrilled to participate in WorldPride DC 2025 on the 50th anniversary of Pride celebrations in the nation’s capital, under the auspices of Population Connection Action Fund. Despite five long months of attacks on abortion, contraception, health care coverage, and LGBTQ+ rights, this year’s Pride festivities in June were filled with joy, hope, and resolve.

The Action Fund hosted a booth during the two-day WorldPride Street Festival, a huge gathering of progressive organizations and businesses. The booth was in action all day Saturday and Sunday, where staff spoke with thousands of festivalgoers about attacks on reproductive rights, recruited people to join our joint #Fight4HER campaign, encouraged visitors to take action on the Global HER Act, and handed out Action Fund-branded swag.

Staff in front of the Action Fund’s booth at WorldPride Street Festival in DC

World Pride 2025

International Conference on Family Planning

Our team had a wonderful experience at the 7th International Conference on Family Planning(ICFP) in Bogotá, Colombia. Throughout the first week of November, we had the incredible opportunity to engage and speak with hundreds of passionate sexual and reproductive health providers and advocates from around the world. We distributed hundreds of branded giveaways, including our popular “Repro Rights Fan,” and fact sheets on issues we care about.

Additionally, people expressed enthusiasm for our open letter, calling for an end to the panic over supposed “low fertility” and for a focus instead on the real crises: unintended pregnancy, maternal death, and low rates of school attendance for girls. Our networking efforts helped us make new friends and gain new social media followers, further spreading our commitment to ensuring that everyone who wants and needs contraception, safe abortion, and the full range of reproductive health care can get it.

Staff and associates pose with our “Repro Rights Fans” at the Population Connection exhibit booth

ICFP 2025

Page Turners Book Club

Each quarter, Population Connection members and supporters meet on Zoom to discuss a book or long-form publication.

We kicked off in February with Not the End of the World by Hannah Ritchie, an evidence-based and optimistic look at how data and innovation can help us build a sustainable planet. In May, we shifted gears to Ayana Elizabeth Johnson’s What If We Get It Right?, a book that envisions hopeful, community-driven paths toward a livable climate future.

Our August selection was The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2024, edited by Bill McKibben and Jaime Green, featuring standout journalism on environmental change, biodiversity, and the human relationship with nature. We closed the year in November with Gabrielle Blair’s Ejaculate Responsibly, a thought-provoking examination of reproductive responsibility and the cultural narratives surrounding the abortion debate.

Book club attendees at our November book club meeting

Learn about Book Club

Summer Photo Contest

We hosted our fourth annual Summer Photo Contest! Supporters from around the world submitted images that capture the beauty of natural landscapes, fascinating creatures, and cultural curiosities.

We received over 130 submissions from enthusiastic photographers who were eager to share their art and inspire environmental stewardship. Each photograph tells a unique story, reflecting personal connections to the environment and the importance of protecting it for future generations. From breathtaking mountain vistas to intimate snapshots of wildlife, the submissions showcase the diverse beauty of our shared planet in all its glory.

The winning photo, featuring two chinstrap penguins at Palaver Point in Antarctica, submitted by David Newswanger 

Explore 2025 Submissions

Community Outreach

Members tabled at Earth Day and other community events in New York, Florida, California, and Illinois! Our volunteers reached hundreds of people in their local communities with materials and information that make the links between population growth, climate change, resource depletion, and other environmental challenges. Their outreach brought our message directly into local communities, strengthening awareness of the urgent need for sustainable, people-centered solutions.

Longtime Population Connection member, Middy Streeter at the Union Square Earth Day event in New York City

Get Involved